NHL: Hockey at its Best

By Lee Manchur Sports Central Columnist

Nearly a month into the 2001 edition of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and sixty-four games since it all began, the National Hockey League is showing everyone why the Stanley Cup is one of the toughest, if not, the toughest, trophy to win in professional sports.

Despite criticism that the NHL allows too many teams into the playoffs, the "second season" is proving to be very close, even in the one seed vs. eight seed series. In fact, exactly half of the playoff games so far, thirty-two, have been just one-goal decisions.

Hockey is the only sport where the overtime periods can go on forever. Sure, in football, basketball, and baseball they can play for numerous overtimes until a winner is to be decided, but only baseball is usually decided past a third or fourth extra frame, and only in baseball is the overtime periods the same time length as in regulation. In the NHL, if you can't decide the game after sixty minutes, you keep playing twenty-minute periods until someone scores. There has been just one double-overtime game, but there have been sixteen games have been decided in a single overtime period already in the playoffs. The lone double-overtime game was the third between St. Louis and Dallas in the second round, a game that St. Louis won. You cannot rule out, though, the fact that more double or triple or more overtime games will follow when teams get into the later rounds and play more defensively.

Intensity? You better believe you can find it during Cup Crazy season. If you've based your opinion on the NHL by watching regular season games, the games between mid-April and early-June is what you should be watching. Having watched twenty-four playoff games on the tube this year alone so far, it is very easy for me to distinguish between regular season and playoff games. In the playoffs, only the real men survive. You need at least one real good checking line to compete, and that is why teams like the Ottawa Senators went out so early. Last year, it was the Maple Leafs that were beautifully built for the regular season, being the highest scoring team in the league. Everyone loved their open style of playing. However, come the end of the 2000 playoffs it was obvious the Leafs were not a playoff team.

In the offseason, they got the "impact" guys such as Shayne Corson, Dave Manson, Darcy Tucker, and Gary Roberts - all of which have had a huge impact on the team's success. "Pretty" teams will never win the playoffs. You need the physical intensity to go all the way. You must win the little battles before you win the war.

With the physical intensity comes the offensive chances. Once you have three or four players in the corner battling for a puck, the puck usually comes loose, thus, creating numerous offensive chances. The NHL has seem some outstanding goals in the playoffs after battles in the corner. Just think of Doug Weight (EDM) in the first round versus Dallas.

You don't even need the physical intensity to score playoff goals! What about Chris Drury (COL) in Game One of the semifinals versus the Kings where he simply undressed three Kings skaters? Or Ryan Smyth of the Oilers scoring while falling down? Joe Sakic. Mats Sundin. Mario Lemieux. You get my point, right?

Even with great goals, there are always great saves. After all, no team wins the Stanley Cup without a great or hot goaltender. Curtis Joseph has played outstanding for the Maple Leafs. Dominik Hasek stopping two penalty shots so far in the playoffs (one on Recchi (PHI), one on Straka (PIT)). Then, of course, there's the rookie sensation, Johan Hedberg, of the Penguins. The final word is that if you look at the teams playing versus the teams not playing right now, all of the teams still on the ice (and not on the golf course) have outstanding goaltenders.

Nevertheless, it all comes down to defense. Like the old saying goes, "offense wins games, but defense wins championships". As a pro-offense hockey fan, I counter that saying with, "games (and thus, offense) wins championships."

Of course, every team needs a good defensive plan to win games. However, it was the championship teams of the 1995 and 2000 New Jersey Devils that could have quite possibly held the title of "most boring postseason team to ever win the Stanley Cup". The defensive system they implemented was brutal for fans. This year, they've opened up their game a bit, and play a more appealing system for fans to watch.

In the regular season, sometimes you see dull, boring games, where only half the players seem to show up in spirit, although they may all be there physically. Come the playoffs, everyone shows up every night, and competes until the final buzzer.

Crunching hits, amazing speed, outstanding goaltending, great scoring, and solid defense - it's all there, come the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Watch it, and I'll assure you you'll get hooked!

After all, it is the "Coolest Game on Earth!"

Article courtesy of Sports Central